View source for Vries, Cornelis de (1740-1812)

Cornelis (Kornelis) de Vries, born 16 August 1740 at [[Koog aan de Zaan (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Koog aan de Zaan]], died 21 November 1812 at Haarlem, married first to Alida Reesen, later to Maria Elisabeth van Vollenhoven, a Dutch Mennonite minister, who studied at the [[Zonists|Zonist]] seminary and served the congregations of [[Enschede (Overijssel, Netherlands)|Enschede]] 1763-1771 and [[Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands)|Utrecht]] 1771-1786. In 1786 he retired to devote himself to study and literature. Moving to Haarlem in 1788, he established the <em>Algemeene Konsten Letterbode</em>, a newspaper on art and literature, of which he was the editor until 1809. Besides articles in this periodical he published some doctrinal studies. On 7 November 1773, on the occasion of the dedication of the new meetinghouse at Utrecht, he delivered a sermon which some members of the Reformed Church considered an offense to "the public (i.e., Reformed) church." Even the magistrates of Utrecht discussed the matter, but did not take action. This sermon was published under the title <em>De Verdraagzame Begrippen der Doopsgezinden niet onbestaanbaar met hunne aanhoudende afzondering van de overige Kristenheid</em> (Utrecht, 1773). De Vries further published <em>Inwydingsreden over de tempels . . .</em> (Amsterdam, 1769), a sermon preached at Enschede at the dedication of the new meetinghouse; <em>De onderscheidene en uitstekender Gelukzaligheid</em> . . . , a funeral sermon for his colleague Joh. Cuperus (Utrecht, 1777); <em>Geschiedenis van de eerste zonde der menschen . . .</em> (Amsterdam, 1781); <em>Katechismus der H. Schriftuur</em> (Rotterdam, 1782); <em>Kleine Katechismus</em> (Haarlem, 1786); and <em>Godsdienstig Leerboek voor Kristelijke Aankomelingen </em>(Haarlem, 1802). De Vries was also interested in Mennonite history and possessed a good collection of about 1500 Mennonite books, which he contributed to the Enschede congregation; this collection was destroyed in 1862 when the church burned down. A number of learned societies invited him to join. During his Utrecht period he was the editor of the <em>Utrechtsche Courant</em> 1782-1787.
= Bibliography =
Berghuys, H. B. <em>Geschiedenis der Doopsgez. gemeente te Utrecht. </em>1926: 60-62, 64 f.

<em>Doopsgezinde Bijdragen </em>(1863): 92 f.; (1868): 88.

Geuns, van J. <em>Levensbericht</em> (Obituary) <em>in the Konsten Letterbode</em> (1813): No. 15.

Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. <em>Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam,</em> 2 vols. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente, 1883-1884: v. I, Nos. 761, 2332.

<em>Naamlijst der tegenwoordig in dienst zijnde predikanten der Mennoniten in de vereenigde Nederlanden.</em> Amsterdam, 1815: 71 f.
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